No Good Deed (Episode 4)
by Zanza8
Summary: Finnick gets in trouble with Mr Big when he tries to protect Nick.
1. Chapter 1

**Episode 4 of Zootopia, The Virtual Season. You can find all the episodes in Zootopia Communities, where the season is listed under my name.**

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 _Sad, but true, that no good deed goes unpunished._

Finnick was scrubbing his paws at the end of a hard day's work in his garage when the pounding on the door started and he snarled in frustration. Life used to be so much easier, scamming when he needed some dough, no expectations, no responsibilities, no need even to get out of bed in the morning if he didn't feel like it. Owning a business was a bigger headache than the fennec fox had ever expected and there were times he had a strong impulse to walk away from it all. He sighed, drying off his paws and going to the door. Whoever it was, he would see what he could do, but his annoyance returned in full force when he saw who it was.

Duke Weaselton, eyes rolling nervously in every direction, pushed past Finnick into the garage. "I need help."

"I know," said Finnick, "but I ain't a shrink. Now beat it so I can finish closing up."

The weasel was clutching a briefcase to his chest and he backed up further into the garage. "No kidding, Finn. I'm in real bad trouble. I go out there, I'll be dead by morning."

Finnick considered picking up the weasel and slinging him out the door, but small as Duke was, the fox was even smaller. Maybe if he used his baseball bat...no, that was assault and now he was a business owner he wasn't supposed to go around hitting animals. Damn Nick for making him take those citizenship classes! He closed the door and locked it. "Make it fast."

"You got someplace more private? Like without all these big windows?"

Finnick scowled but went into the reception office and shut the blinds on the door. "This is as private as it gets."

The weasel slunk in and put the briefcase on the desk in the corner. "I swear I didn't know what was in it." He opened it and took a step back.

Finnick's eyes popped. The case was stuffed with bundles of cash, hundred dollar bills in wrappers marked with an ornate B. "Where did you get this, Duke?"

"Arctic Edibles. It's a little shop that stocks gourmet food. I just stopped in for a two paw discount on breakfast, I like those little sticky buns they make…"

Duke was rambling and Finnick snapped, "Get to the point!"

"The caribou behind the counter got called to the back so I just looked to see if I could get in the register and I saw the briefcase and I took it. How was I supposed to know it was full of money?"

"It's not just money. Look at the initial on the wrappers."

"Yeah," Duke whined. "It was in Tundratown, Finn. It's one of Mr Big's places! I robbed Mr Big." He wrung his paws. "What am I gonna do?"

"Don't know," said Finnick unsympathetically. "Don't care. Bye."

Duke slammed the case shut. "You may not care what happens to me but what about Nick?"

The fox's paws knotted into fists. "What's Nick got to do with this?"

"You know what Mr Big will do to me for stealing from him? He'll ice me."

"That ain't got nothing to do with Nick."

"No? I'm one of his informants. If I disappear, he'll look for me. What do you think will happen to Nick if he starts snooping around?"

"Nick is like family to Mr Big," said Finnick slowly.

"You know that won't matter to Mr Big. He's business first."

Finnick gritted his teeth. "Why you bothering me with this?"

"Because you can help!" Duke pushed the case at Finnick. "It's all over the street how you got an arrangement with Mr Big…"

The fox put up a paw. "I got a contract to fix his cars. That's all."

"That's enough. He knows you, Finn. He trusts you. Please, take the money back to him. Tell him it was all a mistake. Tell him anything you want! Just don't tell him it was me." The weasel was shaking like a leaf. "Finn, please, you gotta help me!"

Finnick reluctantly took the case. "I'll do it for Nick. He's doing good now, he don't need your mess. Now get out and don't let me catch you around here again."


	2. Chapter 2

Finnick finally got Mr Big on the phone ten o'clock that night. "I'm real sorry to bother you, sir…"

"I told you, you are family now." Mr Big sounded as menacing as ever but his words were encouraging. "What do you need?"

Finnick took a deep breath. "It's about the robbery at Arctic's Edibles."

"Ah." Mr Big's voice dropped. "You have information about the thief? I will be forever in your debt."

"Well…" The fox squirmed. "The fact is, I sort of wound up with your money. He didn't know it was yours and when he found out he asked me to give it back to you." He held his breath waiting for the shrew's reply.

"The thief is your friend?"

Finnick all but growled, "He ain't no friend of mine. Let's just say he came to me for help and I'd rather not see him get in any more trouble."

It was a long moment before Mr Big replied. "There is family, and there is business. If you make yourself responsible for the money, it will be business. _You_ must return it or suffer the consequences. Is that truly what you wish?"

Now it was Finnick who paused. The smart thing to do would be to tell Mr Big about Duke and let nature take its course, and the fox sighed as he made his decision. "Yeah, I'll bring it back. I'll come by first thing in the morning."

"I will expect you for breakfast. Goodnight, my friend."

Finnick hung up the phone and weighed the briefcase in his paw, then locked it in the safe Judy had insisted on installing and headed upstairs. Five o'clock the next morning, he gave up trying to get any sleep and got up to make a cup of coffee, taking out the briefcase and eyeing it morosely. He could drive his van over to Mr Big's, but after he moved into a real apartment and started working such long hours, he hadn't found much use for the van. It would be three hours before the long term parking garage it was stored in opened, and he decided to call a cab instead. The dispatcher assured him the driver would be able to pick him up within ten minutes and he hung a Closed Today sign on the front door and headed out the back.

Whoever hit him moved so quietly Finnick never heard them coming. He woke up face down in the alley behind his garage with a splitting headache and a vague feeling that something was missing. The briefcase! He jumped to his feet and the resulting dizziness put him right back on the ground. He buried his face in his paws, shuddering. _There is family, and there is business. If you make yourself responsible for the money, it will be business. **You** must return it or suffer the consequences_.

"You okay, mister?"

Finnick looked up to see the cabbie he had called, a squirrel, eyeing him with a dubious expression. "Yeah, I'm just great." He got up more slowly than the last time and managed to stay on his feet.

"You don't look so good."

The fox felt his head and looked at his paw. Just a little lump and no blood, so whoever hit him must have used something soft and weighted, like a blackjack. "You just get here?" The squirrel nodded and Finnick asked hopefully, "You see who hit me?"

"I didn't see nothing, mister. I got the call to make a pickup in the alley so I came around the back and there you was."

Terrific. Finnick felt the lump on his head again, wincing. "Where's your cab?"

"You want I should take you to the doctor?"

The fox started to shake his head and a sharp pain made him stop. "No, there's someplace else I have to be."


	3. Chapter 3

Mr Big gazed mournfully at Finnick. "This gives me great sorrow," said the tiny shrew in his whispery voice. "I would have preferred to have the thief. Now the innocent must suffer." The polar bears closed in around Finnick and Mr Big held up a paw. "Because you are family, you will not be iced. Make it look like an accident, quick and painless."

"NO!" Finnick had closed his eyes, resigned to his fate, and the shrill scream made him jump. Fru Fru had come in unnoticed, and now she was staring at her father in horror. "Daddy, you can't! Not Finnick! He's Nicky's best friend! You said he was family!"

The fearsome crime boss wilted under the exclamations of his daughter. "It's not personal, baby. It's business. You know how it is."

"I don't care." Fru Fru balled up her tiny paws and put them on her hips. "If you hurt Finnick…" She paused and even the polar bears took a step back. "You can't come to little Judy's first birthday party."

Mr Big put up a valiant effort. "He made himself responsible for a thief who stole from me. If I let him go, what message does that send?"

Fru Fru huffed with exasperation. "If you want to catch a thief, you should call Nicky."

Now it was Finnick who wanted to shout NO! but he knew it would do no good. Mr Big had already nodded to one of the polar bears, who was dialing the phone. The little fox's ears drooped and Mr Big observed him with interest. "You are more upset at the call to Nicky than the prospect of your own demise?"

"Nick's legit now." The fox shrugged. "I didn't want him mixed up in something that could cause him trouble."

"Your loyalty to your friend is touching." Mr Big ruminated. "I will reward that loyalty. I will give you and Nicky a chance to find my money. If you do not, I give you my word that no trouble will come to Nicky, nor harm to you." Finnick's eyes lit up and Mr Big went on coldly, " _But_ you will no longer be family, and if you ever show your face here again, you will be iced."

The polar bear hung up the phone. "He's on his way, boss, with the bunny."

"Judy's coming?" Fru Fru squealed with excitement. "Oh, my Gawd, I have to get ready! She hasn't seen the baby for a whole week! I gotta show her all little Judy's new toys, and…" She threw her arms around Mr Big. "Oh, thank you, Daddy! Thank you, thank you!" She kissed him several times and the crime boss thawed.

"Go on, baby. When Judy gets here, you can show her whatever you want."

Fru Fru beamed at her father, then waved to Finnick. "Bye now! And don't worry about nothing. Nicky'll fix it."

They all watched as a polar bear carried Fru Fru out, dancing on his paw, then Mr Big turned back to Finnick with a bemused expression. "Are you married? Do you have a girlfriend?" Finnick shook his head and Mr Big nodded in approval. "You're wise. Females run your life."

Finnick thought of Nick and Judy. "Maybe it's worth it, if it's the right female."

Mr Big laughed and even the polar bears chuckled, elbowing each other. "Maybe it is, my friend. Maybe it is."


	4. Chapter 4

Nick gave Finnick an incredulous look. "You want to say that again?"

"Nope," said the fennec fox gruffly. "I didn't want to have to tell you in the first place."

They were in Mr Big's study, surrounded by polar bears who watched them balefully as Finnick told what had happened. He finally finished and Nick turned to Judy. "What do you think, Carrots?"

"I think it sounds like Finnick wanted to steal from Mr Big and made up this story about a thief." The two foxes glared at her and she glared back. "I said that's what it _sounds_ like, not that I think that's what happened. Somebody must have set Finnick up to take the fall, knowing he was going to be bringing the money back to Mr Big this morning."

"No way," said Finnick. "The only one I told about the money was Mr Big."

"Just _how_ did you tell Mr Big?" asked Judy. Finnick looked puzzled and she elaborated. "Did you send him a telegram? A messenger? Did you call him on the phone?"

"I called him on the phone. I had to call a couple of times before I got him."

Nick and Judy traded glances and the red fox asked, "Who answered the phone, Finn?"

"I didn't get his name." Finnick frowned, trying to think. "It wasn't a polar bear. It almost sounded like Mr Big, but younger. Like a juvenile Mr Big."

One of the polar bears started and Nick raised his eyebrows. "That mean something to you, Kevin?"

The bear shuffled his feet. "Mr Big's nephew, his sister's son, Tommy, is staying for the summer. He might have answered the phone." The other bears were trading glances now and Kevin snapped, "What difference does it make? He wouldn't steal from his uncle."

"He wouldn't _steal_ ," said another bear judiciously, "but he might take the money for kicks. We all know what a joker he is."

"Something that could get somebody killed is not a joke!" said Judy indignantly.

"Yeah, well, let's not forget your buddy here wouldn't have had the money if he wasn't covering for a thief in the first place," snarled Kevin.

Nick shook his head. "Where's this Tommy now?"

"I don't know," said Kevin reluctantly. "Mr Big has Raymond watching him."

"Raymond?" Kevin nodded and Nick said exasperatedly, "So call him already. Ask him where he's babysitting today. And while you're at it, tell Mr Big what's up."


	5. Chapter 5

Mr Big regarded the tiny shrew and the giant bear with a somber expression. "This grieves me more than I can say, Tommy. That you, my sister's son, my own flesh and blood, would have such disrespect for me as to listen in on my private phone call and then use the information you learned to steal from me…"

"I didn't mean anything, Uncle," whined Tommy. "I was just having some fun."

"You think the lump on my head is _fun_?" snapped Finnick.

The crime boss's eyes flicked over to Finnick and the small fox subsided. "And you, Raymond. I trust you with the lives of my family and you betray me."

"You told me to do whatever the kid said, boss. Your nephew told me to tap the fox on the head and take the briefcase. I didn't know it belonged to you, and when he told me to keep quiet about it, I obeyed him because _you_ told me to." Whatever he lacked in brain power, Raymond made up for in courage and now he said proudly, "I submit myself to your judgement knowing I have always been faithful to your wishes."

"You give me a headache." Mr Big pressed a tiny paw to his forehead. "Go get me an aspirin. Return in a week."

Raymond bowed and went out the door and all attention focused on Mr Big's nephew. Besides the two shrews and Finnick, Nick was also present, as were Kevin and several other polar bears. Tommy glanced around the room and seeing nothing but unfriendly faces, he sniveled, "I'm really sorry, Uncle. I didn't mean to cause trouble."

"If you were not my sister's son, you would never leave this room alive." Mr Big's tone was glacial and his nephew shivered. "Where is my money?"

"In my room!" Mr Big gestured and one of the polar bears left the room. Tommy watched him go, then said, "Honest, Uncle, I wasn't stealing it. I was just playing a practical joke."

"And if Finnick died over your little joke?" asked Mr Big.

"He's just a fox!" Tommy spread his paws. "What does it matter what happens to a fox?"

Mr Big leaned his head on his paw and studied his nephew. His long silence unnerved everyone in the room but it remained unbroken until the bear came back with the briefcase. "I counted it, boss. It's all there."

"Put it in the safe." The bear left and Mr Big took a deep breath. "Even as my sister's son, I cannot let such disrespect pass. Finnick may be a fox, but he is family. When I consider how you endangered his life and brought shame to us all, I wonder if any punishment is severe enough."

"Uh, Mr Big?" ventured Nick.

The sharp black eyes of the shrew turned to the fox. "What is it?"

"About that punishment, I might have an idea." Nick leaned forward and whispered to Mr Big and the shrew chuckled.

"I like the way your mind works, Nicky. It will be as you say."


	6. Chapter 6

Tommy leaned on his manual lawn mower, wiping the sweat from his face and staring out over an expanse of green that to such a small animal looked like ten acres.

"Hang in there!" called Nick. The little shrew shot a furious look at the fox and got back to work mowing the lawn in front of the Thorneycroft Orphan's Home, an inch at a time.

Sister Margaret, the kindly badger who ran the home, clucked her tongue. "Don't you think you're being a little hard on him, Nicholas? At this rate, by the time he finishes, the grass will need mowing again."

"That's kind of the idea, Sister," said Finnick grimly. "His little prank nearly got me killed."

Sister Margaret went inside, shaking her head, and Judy said, "I still don't understand why you would cover for the thief in the first place, Finnick."

"I'd like to know that myself," said Nick.

Finnick hesitated, then turned to the others. "Because it was Duke."

" _Duke_?" Nick's eyes widened. "You always hated his guts."  
"Still do." Finnick sighed. "Look, he said he was your informant and if Mr Big did anything to him, you'd have to do something about it. I didn't want you getting in trouble with Mr Big, especially over that little weasel, so I said I'd handle it."

"Next time let _me_ handle it, okay?"

Finnick snorted. "You think there's gonna be a next time?" The three animals started down the stairs and paused when they reached the sidewalk to watch Tommy pushing the lawn mower. "How long does he have to do that?"

"Until _you're_ satisfied, Finn," said Nick quietly. "Mr Big doesn't want him back at all, so when you give the word, he goes back home."

"Where's that?"

Nick grinned mischievously. "Some little carrot-choked podunk out in the country."

"Hey!" Judy punched him on the arm.

"Easy, Carrots! They do live out in the country but I didn't get the name of the place." The fox's eyes darkened. "I didn't want to know. He's staying here at the orphanage till it's time to go. Mr Big didn't like what he said about foxes. Thinks he needs to learn what it's like to be poor and unwanted."

Judy shook her head. "I doubt it will do any good."

"I don't care if it does any good." Finnick bared his teeth. "After what he pulled, I'd _eat_ him if I wasn't a vegetarian."

"Finnick!" The bunny sounded shocked.

"Save it, Judy." Finnick slapped paws with Nick. "Thanks for coming for me, Nick. See you later."

He walked away and Judy looked after him, then started in the other direction with Nick. "He acts like it was no big deal but he could have died trying to keep you out of trouble. What is it with you two?"

The fox smiled a little. "I don't suppose he would mind me telling you. We go back a long way…"

"Almost twenty years. Finnick told me when I was looking for you…" Judy's soft purple eyes dropped. "After that awful press conference, he told me where to find you, and that he went back almost twenty years with you. And that he didn't have a problem going after me if I did anything to hurt you again." Nick didn't respond and for a few minutes they strolled along in silence, then Judy asked softly, "Do you still want to tell me?"

Nick shrugged. "I haven't thought about it for a long time. I guess it _has_ been almost twenty years. I was only fourteen when I met Finn, if you can call it a meeting…"

 _Nick moved slowly down the street, shivering. It wasn't particularly cold, but he hadn't eaten for almost two days and he wasn't feeling well. He thought for a moment about going back to Thorneycroft. He knew Sister Margaret would be overjoyed to see him, but the badger's affection for him just made him that much more determined to stay away. He didn't want to get close to anyone ever again and he sank down against a wall, wrapping his arms and his tail around himself in a futile effort to get warm._

 _"Shut up, punk!"_

 _The young fox looked up, blinking his bleary eyes to focus on a huge timber wolf in a police uniform raising a nightstick over a fennec fox. The smaller animal was on his knees, his paws over his head, and he yelped in pain as the stick descended on him. Later, Nick couldn't even remember how it happened. All he knew was he had been overwhelmed by the memory of the Junior Ranger Scouts, muzzling him and beating him up and throwing him out in the street, and he found himself on the back of the wolf, his thin arms wrapped around the big animal's shaggy throat. Caught off guard, the wolf dropped his stick and the fennec fox picked it up, swinging it at the cop's knees and knocking him to the ground. A hard blow to the wolf's head dazed him, and the fennec fox grabbed Nick's paw. "Come on, kid."_

"So you saved Finnick's life?"

"And he saved mine. I was pretty sick, Carrots. I might not have made it if Finnick hadn't got me to a clinic and taken care of me until I was back on my feet. He made me pay back every penny, but that was okay. I didn't have to feel like he was a friend that way. And he wasn't looking for a friend either. He just thought he'd be safer with someone to watch his back."

"You're friends now," said Judy.

Nick smiled. "We've been through a lot over the years."

Judy looked troubled. "It was a _cop_ who attacked Finnick?"

"Yeah." The fox shook his head. "He was killed a long time ago in a high speed chase. Turns out he was a pretty good cop, except when it came to foxes. He just hated foxes. If he could make trouble for a fox, he would. He wasn't the only cop who felt that way, so Finn and me kept changing where we operated and we made sure we had all the permits we needed for whatever we were doing."

Judy said wryly, "I guess when you met me, it was the first time you ran across a cop you didn't have to be afraid of."

"Well, no. Actually you scared me more than any cop I'd ever known. Most cops didn't like foxes, but they didn't bother Finn and me. Half the time they didn't notice us, and when they did, we just showed our permits and they let us go. You were the first one who really got on my case. Don't think because I left you stuck in wet cement that I thought you were a joke, no matter what I said. You had me worried from the start."

"Was I the only one who carried fox repellent?" asked Judy sadly.

Nick didn't answer for a moment, then he put out an an arm and pulled her into a quick hug. "You don't carry it now. That's all that matters. There's even a fox on the ZPD now and I hear he's the best cop they ever had."

"Is that what you hear?" Judy scoffed. "I hear that his partner is a bunny and she's way smarter than him."

Nick's eyes twinkled. "I can _prove_ I'm smarter than you."

"How?" asked Judy suspiciously.

"Easy," said Nick, suddenly looking very serious. "I'm the only cop on the ZPD who was smart enough to have Judy Hopps for a partner."


End file.
